Stephen
BAD HABIT's arrival to the scene in 1989 is pretty late but hats off to their persistence and still paving their way back in 1995 through 'Revolution' even though the climate isn't really friendly for their music. BAD HABIT survived the millennium and return strong with their sixth studio album, 'Atmosphere', with a quality as high as the debut, and to me, it even surpassed their previous achievement and clinch a major victory with this as their best album to date.
Still strengthened by Bax Fehling and Hal Johnston as the mastermind of BAD HABIT, 'Atmosphere' is not only a record full of harmonies and melodies as always been the strongest factor of a great melodic rock album, but it also accommodates heartmelting ballads as well as excellent musicianship by the band. Every song is a hit potential but there are several personal faves that really shines here. 'In The Heat of The Night' is a real big blast, check out the massive chorus, it's superfantastic. 'Every Time You Cry' and 'Fantasy' are two huge gems too, 'Save Me' is catchy and addictive, while 'Catch Me When I Fall' is also a show-stealer.
'I Wanna Be The One' and 'Angel of Mine' are slower tunes that could be your girlfriend favorites. They're poppish and harmless but elegant and also passionate, especially with a stellar vocal delivery by Bax, just can't believe he still can nail an incredible singing after more than 20 years. For an AOR album, the heaviness level of the rhythm section is quite high and you can hear for yourself how the guitars roar loud and high, if they pump up the tempo much faster, this might leap to the melodic metal territory.
A superb release and surprisingly after more than 20 spins in a single year, I find myself still longing for more. This is a perfect 100% for me and a runner-up of 2011, highly recommended for fans of Scandinavian MHR/AOR.